


Window To The Soul

by valevhs



Category: Black Veil Brides, Palaye Royale (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, bookshop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25003783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valevhs/pseuds/valevhs
Summary: In which Andy goes to buy a book, and instead gets his heart stolen.
Relationships: Emerson Barrett/Andy Biersack
Kudos: 12





	Window To The Soul

Monday morning, cold and grey. The type of morning where you could see your own breath swirl and dance in front of your eyes, because the cold was that overwhelming. The type of morning where the streets were silent, except for one man. Head to toe in black and white, a coffee clenched in his fists, his knuckles raw from the freezing air. The coat he wore enveloping him, a void which proved quite useless at keeping the wind at bay. His piercing azure eyes reduced to a washed out beryl blue from fatigue. 

Andy had never intended to go on a walk at 7am. It just happened. After staying up all night messing with demos, he figured it was pointless to rest his weary head. But with a latte now secure in his hand, he ventured out on a long walk home. He opted for the scenic route, figuring he had time before brunch with his parents at 11. The quaint streets of the town's outskirts were eerily silent, and Andy let his gaze fall upon the beautiful shops. Tudor sweet shoppes and Elizabethan bars gave the impression of a very old town, designed by the English. The charcoal stone and maroon wood made the area look like an outtake from Harry Potter. It was one shop in particular, however, that Andy couldn't seem to take his eyes off. It was mystical, whimsical... it had, well, an otherworldly sort of vibe to it. Like it didn't belong there at all. 

The shop had plush purple drapes, adorned with sparkling gold stars, in the dusty windows. The door had a shining bronze knocker, and a matching handle. Intriguingly, the place looked untouched. Cobwebbed and dusty, it almost looked abandoned, but the sign in the window declared the place open. 

'Kropp Bookshoppe'.

The peeling gold italics were far from ugly. Though unkempt, the place itself was ethereal. It was... well, breathtakingly beautiful. Quite honestly, it was the most interesting little place Andy had stumbled across. Many would just write it off as a silly old bookshop - who needs those when you have eReaders? Andy wasn't even a book person, he often went for comics that he knew, and trusted. But for reasons unbeknown, he went inside.

The chime of a rusted bell announced Andy's entrance to the bookshop, but it seemed empty. He wondered if perhaps he'd entered the wrong place, but the smell of old paper was indicative that this was, indeed, a bookshop. Glancing around, he noticed something strange. None of these books seemed modern at all! There were no paperback teen love stories filling the shelves. Just rows upon rows of titles that Andy didn't recognise, bound in leather and embellished with silver lettering. 

'Utopia' by Thomas More was the first book that Andy happened to pick up. He skimmed through the pages and deemed it too boring for his taste. Novels like that just seemed to drone on and on and on. But every title Andy picked up seemed to be the same! Pages of drone and drabble that were of no interest to him. He wanted action, he wanted fights, he wanted superheroes and epic villains. Not faerie queens and fools. After many a minute of flicking through novels, he found a name he recognised.

"Shakespeare, hm..? A classic choice, I'm particularly fond of his works. He does quite capture the essence of wonder and tragedy, as an escapism from reality, wouldn't you say?"

Andy looked up to see a man, no older than twenty, standing next to him in old fashioned clothes, his mousy brown hair hidden beneath a hat. The man smiled at Andy, and continued to speak.

"I do quite like tragedies. They touch my heart like nothing else... Is there any way I can be of assistance to you, good sir?"

"I don't suppose you have any Batman in stock, do you?" Andy asked, taken aback.

"Batman... I wouldn't think so, I'm sorry."

Andy shrugged, putting down the Shakespeare book. The man before him was even more beautiful than the shop itself. His beauty was almost unreal, it was so encapsulating and mystical. His hair fell just below his chin, and his mouth curved up into a knowing smirk. Andy felt his heart skip a beat, and inquired,

"What's your name?"

"Emerson... Emerson Kropp. My father owned this place before he passed due to sickness."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Oh, Lord, don't be... I've been awaiting the day for what seems like centuries. Can I ask your name, sir?"

"Oh, hah. Andy."

Emerson's face scrunched up slightly, and God, was he beautiful.

"Andy is a peculiar name." Emerson stated simply.

"It's, uh. It's short for Andrew."

Emerson seemed satisfied with that, and smiled kindly. "I'm sorry our shop couldn't be of service to you... Andy."

A sense of familiarity washed over Andy at the sight of Emerson's smile... It almost felt homely, it felt so secure. He stepped closer to the strange man, looking him in the eyes.

"Do I know you, Emerson?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps in the future, perhaps in the past... as best friends, as brothers, as lovers... that, only time can tell."

What the fuck is he on about, Andy thought, looking at the glint in Emerson's eye.

Emerson seemed to sense Andy's confusion, and rested a hand upon his shaking shoulder. 

"Are you going to purchase anything, then? Or are you just going to stand dumbfounded? It truly isn't hard to grasp. I know we will cross paths once more, and by then, you will have forgotten me. But I will always know you. I will always be with you, Andy."

Andy began to panic. He felt conflicted, there was this gorgeous man before him, speaking in the most comforting, gravelly voice, and yet his words seemed so threatening.

"I'm sorry, I gotta- fuck, I gotta go, man, I... I'm meeting my parents, and... I just-"

Emerson simply nodded, his hazel eyes full of sympathy and understanding. It only scared Andy more, how did this guy know him so well?

"Thank you for visiting, Andy Biersack. May we meet again."

Andy's heart dropped. "What the fuck? How do you know my name, you're... you're crazy!" he stepped backwards, before turning on his heels and sprinting out of the shop, closing the door behind him with an awful crash, his heart pounding against his ribs. He was shaking, almost insane amounts. His coffee had gone cold, and so had his soul. He felt preyed upon, he felt scared, he felt stuck. He had to balance himself, to catch his breath somehow, so he sank down to the floor, clutching his chest, and looked back at the shop.

It was gone.

Was it ever really there?

**Author's Note:**

> just a cute oneshot to cheer myself up <3


End file.
